Two related articles in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) show that a large number of species can branch out of a small population in a short time. Hobbyists familiar with tropical fish appreciate how wide is the variety found within Cichlids. In the first article,1 the author alleged that in the last 15,000 years, the number of cichlid species living in the lake grew from a handful to hundreds. Nearby Lake Malawi, which is supposedly much older, boasts no better variety of cichlids. Just as dog breeders select for a desired trait, the environment that each group of fish finds itself in selects for genes that cause the fish to survive well in that environment. Isolation of the new “breed” of fish causes the combination of genes to be preserved. The surprise to scientists was the speed at which this happened, compared to their expectations:Though Lake Victoria cichlids appear millions of years younger than their counterparts in nearby Lake Malawi, both groups display an enormous range of physical and behavioral traits. This staggering diversity in such young species provides compelling evidence for adaptive radiation, which occurs when divergent selection operates on ecological traits that favor different gene variants, or alleles, in different environments. When divergent selection on an ecological trait also affects mate choice—promoting reproductive isolation of diverging populations—ecological diversity and speciation may proceed in tandem and quickly generate numerous new species.Another surprise was to find that natural selection had succeeded in eliminating gene variety in some groups, “fixing” the gene: offspring contained only one type gene, recessive or dominant, and variety has been eliminated:Despite substantial theoretical and some experimental support for such “by-product speciation,” few studies have shown that selection has “fixed” alleles (that is, driven its frequency in a population to 100%) with different effects on an adaptive trait in closely related populations. But now, Yohey Terai, Norihiro Okada, and their colleagues have bridged that gap by demonstrating divergent selection on a visual system gene that influences both ecological adaptation and mate choice in cichlids.In another paper in PLoS Biology,2 the author demonstrates that it really was the environment that produced the variety of characteristics within the Cichlid population:Divergent natural selection acting on ecological traits, which also affect mate choice, is a key element of ecological speciation theory, but has not previously been demonstrated at the molecular gene level to our knowledge. Here we demonstrate parallel evolution in two cichlid genera under strong divergent selection in a gene that affects both. Strong divergent natural selection fixed opsin proteins with different predicted light absorbance properties at opposite ends of an environmental gradient. By expressing them and measuring absorbance, we show that the reciprocal fixation adapts populations to divergent light environments. The divergent evolution of the visual system coincides with divergence in male breeding coloration, consistent with incipient ecological by-product speciation.1Gross L (2006), “Demonstrating the Theory of Ecological Speciation in Cichlids,” PLoS Biology 4(12): e449 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040449.2Terai Y, Seehausen O, Sasaki T, Takahashi K, Mizoiri S, et al. (2006), “Divergent selection on opsins drives incipient speciation in Lake Victoria cichlids,” PLoS Biology 4(12): e433.DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040433.This is exactly what creationists have been saying all along: it doesn’t take long for genetic variation and the environment to produce the variety of species we see. All species of canines could have descended from one pair on an Ark a few thousand years ago. From wolves to Chihuahuas, all dogs are of the “dog” kind, and it didn’t take millions of years for their “adaptive radiation.” In fact, it could have taken only hundreds of years in some cases. The environment they found themselves in selected for the traits best suited to that environment. For an evolutionist accustomed to speaking in millions of years, a mere fifteen thousand years for Lake Victoria to get its variety of cichlids is just a blink of time. Yet they acknowledge that all these species appeared in this amazingly brief period. Human skin color could have been selected in a similar short time: light skinned people who could make Vitamin D with less sunlight were selected for in northern latitudes, while dark skinned people who resisted the effects of intense sun were selected for in equatorial regions. Notice the sleight of mind with terminology in the last quote: “Divergent natural selection”, “parallel evolution”, “divergent selection”, “divergent natural selection”, and “divergent evolution” are used interchangeably to mean the same thing. We are regularly being conditioned to confuse natural selection with evolution, or, to put it in other terms: micro-evolution with macro-evolution. Evolution requires new information to be created. There is no creation of new information here, as the articles admit. In fact, one of the points the author makes is that the natural selection of the environmental factors often drove the frequency of a particular gene in a fish population to 100%. All other genes affecting the characteristic had been eliminated. This is loss of information, not gain – the opposite of what macro-evolution requires. Surely, the scientists who wrote these papers must know this. Once again, commitment to evolution is faith in spite of the evidence.—DK(Visited 14 times, 1 visits today)FacebookTwitterPinterestSave分享0read more

Eastern Cape Province: The road past rural homesteads in Qholora Bay. Mohair-producing Angora goats on a farm near Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape. A flat-topped mesa in the Koranna Mountains in the Eastern Free State. (Images: MediaClubSouthAfrica.com. For more free images visit the image library) MEDIA CONTACTS • Sandi Mtati Coordinator: Social Engagement Project +27 11 834 1444 RELATED ARTICLES • Nikon to nurture young photographers • SA student is world photo finalist • Liliesleaf: keeping the memory alive • ConCourt art tells South Africa’s story • SA-France in cultural exchangeWilma den Hartigh A group of French and South African photographers are embarking on a photo shoot of a different kind. They are travelling across the country to gather images that capture what South Africans think about issues around land, ownership and belonging.The travelling photography initiative, known as the Social Landscape Project, is using the visual medium of photography to start a conversation about these important issues.“With this project we want to show that photography has social relevance, it is not just an aesthetic project,” says Molemo Moiloa, the manager for public programmes and development at the Market Photo Workshop.Land has always been an emotive and complex issue in South Africa. During apartheid, forced removals, land dispossession and the establishment of homelands displaced many people. More recently issues surrounding land reform, mining, housing and service delivery have also been very contentious.But South Africans also have positive associations with land such as security, belonging and memory.“We want to stimulate conversation about how we as South Africans think about land, our associations with it and how we relate to it,” says Moiloa.The Social Landscape project is a collaborative effort between the Market Photo Workshop, a photography school, and the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival in France.The photography project is one of the flagship events of the 2012/2013 France – South Africa Seasons cultural exchange.Significant locationsTwelve French and South African photographers will travel across the country for a period of three months, stopping over at selected sites in different provinces.South African photographer David Goldblatt, renowned for his iconic images of South Africa’s apartheid years and more recently the country’s landscapes, was instrumental in selecting the sites.He has been behind the lens for more than 50 years and helped to select sites with historical, socio-political, economic and environmental relevance.The photographers will work in and around Johannesburg, in various parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Kimberley in the Northern Cape, Magopa in the North West province, and the Karoo.“We wanted to find off the beaten track stories and places to document using photography,” Moiloa explains.The project also doesn’t shy away from controversial locations, such as Magopa in the Rustenburg area, near where the now infamous Marikana mining incident broke out.An Eastern Cape photographer, Cedric Nunn, will focus on the Grahamstown and Hogsback region where the historical Xhosa British wars occurred.Photographers participating in this project are, from South Africa, Zanele Muholi, Pieter Hugo, Jo Ractliffe, Santu Mofokeng and Thabiso Sekgala. The French photographers include Alain Willaume, Raphael Dallaporta, Thibaut Cuisset, Philippe Chancel, Patrick Tourneboeuf and Harry Gruyaert.Public participationThe Social Landscape project isn’t only about the professional photographs. Community participation, through the public engagement component of the project, is an important aspect of the initiative.The public are invited to submit their own snapshots through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, to show how they perceive issues of land and belonging.“Photography is the most accessible medium to capture these stories,” Moiloa says.“So many people have access to photography. Anyone with a cell phone can take a photo and the project wants to engage people’s own photographic ability. “This is why the initiative also has such a prominent social media presence. “It is one of best ways to ensure that people see the images,” she says.A powerful visual mediumThe travelling photography project is about more than taking pretty pictures. It can play an important unifying role in South Africa, bring about healing, encourage reconciliation and change perceptions around the sensitive issue of land.“The visual medium is accessible and goes beyond any language,” says Moiloa. “It is open to interpretation and that is what makes photography such an amazing medium to communicate meaning.”More project outcomesThe Social Landscape Project also includes a training and research programme, two publications and an archive, and will end with a public engagement exhibition.The exhibition will take place at the Market Photo Workshop premises in Newtown, Johannesburg, on 24 November, where different panels covering media, literature, photography and art will discuss issues around landscape photography.“The publications will be a fundamental addition to landscape photography in South Africa,” Moiloa says.The research component is ideal for people who are interested in landscape photography history and it will cover issues such as memory and land, or how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission serves as memory in oral form and how photographers engage with that.Some of the most powerful memories of South Africa’s history have been captured in a few iconic images that have become known worldwide.This photography initiative will deliver a new collection of images that celebrate South Africa’s history of landscape photography, and produce an important archive of one of the country’s most important challenges.read more

Social entrepreneur Nkosinathi Manganyi is leading a group of South Africans on an endurance walk across the country, from Giyani, Limpopo to Cape Town, to raise money and awareness for disadvantaged schools in Limpopo.Social entrepreneur Nkosinathi Manganyi is undertaking an epic walk across South Africa to raise money and awareness for schools in Limpopo during February and March 2017. (Image: Facebook)CD AndersonThe 40-day, almost 2,000km walk began on 26 February 2017, with Manganyi and his team reaching their 500km milestone, Johannesburg, on 6 March.This is not Manganyi’s first walk for charity. In 2014, he walked from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein for children’s charities, and in 2015, he embarked on a longer trip from the Free State capital to Port Elizabeth for cancer research.Manganyi says his social entrepreneurship was first inspired by a friend in need, telling the New Age newspaper: “I had a friend who was diagnosed with bone cancer and they had to amputate his leg. It was at that moment that I realised how fortunate I was and wanted to give back to the community and show gratitude to God.”Hearing about various similar charitable walks around the world, particularly one by a man who walked from Europe to the North Pole in under a month, Manganyi decided “right there and then…that next year on my birthday I’m walking to Bloemfontein. I didn’t know how but I knew I had to do it.”Social entrepreneur Nkosinathi Manganyi is undertaking an epic walk across South Africa to raise money and awareness for schools in Limpopo during February and March 2017. (Image: Facebook)The Giyani to Cape Town trek is specifically for the community of Giyani, in particular schools in the area. Manganyi says schools here need urgent funding to rebuild libraries, revamp bathrooms and buy uniforms for more than 700 students.“We might be able to raise funds that could cover beyond the schools that we are looking to fund,” he told the Citizen newspaper on 28 February 2017, hoping to help out a few needy schools in Mpumalanga as well.Manganyi, a prominent church leader in his community, is also using the walk as a personal spiritual journey, a mission to spread the word of God. He and his team of walkers will visit schools and community centres along the way to speak about using God-given gifts to build and not destroy:“(We will be) working on the spiritual progress of people, (teaching communities about) what it takes to give and what it means to give to others. It’s about enlightening people about where they are coming from and who they are and where they are going,” he told the newspaper.#Giyani2CapeTown TweetsManganyi is using social media to spread the word of his journey, offering regular updates via his Facebook page and inviting anyone along the route to join the walk or offer assistance.“We are trying to do all of this to raise money so…anyone can join us (or sponsor the walkers) for 5km (at R100 per kilometre)…We currently have about 200 people joining us on the road.”But Manganyi says, above all, the walk is about meeting and talking to South Africans from all walks of life and changing lives along the way. “It’s not (only) about the money; it’s about playing your part with the little that you have.”Back in Giyani, the community is eagerly following his progress on social media and on the local community radio station, Giyani Radio.Station manager Prenomen Chabani says the work of Manganyi and his team of walkers is inspiring. “We are monitoring him every day so he can tell us where he is and what the challenges are that he is facing. We also help them with food and all that they may need for the trip.”For more information on Manganyi and his walkers’ journey through the country, and how you can contribute to the cause, check his Facebook page. Source: GoodThingsGuy and CitizenWould you like to use this article in your publication or on your website? See Using Brand South Africa material.read more

3 Areas of Your Business that Need Tech Now klint finley Massive Non-Desk Workforce is an Opportunity fo… As part of the Enterprise Startup Spotlight I’ve asked each submitter to provide a one sentence explanation of the company and an explanation of how it’s different from the competition. I’m beginning to think I should have collapsed both of those fields to two words.Why? Because so many of the strongest enterprise 2.0 companies can be summed up in just two words. Here are 15 products explained in two words each.Chatter – Salesforce.com IntegrationConfluence – Developer CollaborationDrupal – Open CMSHuddle – External CollaborationJive – Everything SuiteLotus Connections – Social AnalyticsMindtouch – Social DocumentationNewsgator – Usable SharePointPBWorks – Agency CollaborationQontext – Contextual IntegrationStreamWork – Decision MakingSocialcast – Embeddable Microbloggingtibbr – Universal InboxYakabod – Secure SharingYammer – Freemium SocialThis is by no means an exhaustive list of companies that have a strong, clear position. But these companies practically own these market positions, and standing out against them them is tough – even if they’re not the best products in their category.Yes, some might fit more than one description. For example, Huddle is also a freemium service. But its external collaboration that it has staked its business on, and it’s done a good job of owning that position. Likewise, it’s hard to compete with Yammer for the freemium position. Mindtouch has an open source product, but it’s the focus on documentation that sets it apart.Many are trying to compete with one or more of these positions. There are other everything suites besides Jive – but today it’s difficult to set oneself apart from Jive based only on a feature list. tibbr managed to differentiate itself from Jive not by stuffing every conceivable social feature under the sun, but by making it easy to add activity streams from other enterprise applications. In so doing, it made itself standout from Jive and other established players like Socialtext.As the enterprise 2.0 market matures I hope to see more products with clear, distinct value propositions that can be defined in only two or three words.Photo by Kioan IT + Project Management: A Love Affair Related Posts Tags:#Analysis#enterprise Cognitive Automation is the Immediate Future of…read more

Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal has ordered a probe against S. Pasupalak, current Vice-Chancellor of Orissa University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT), a premier agriculture university of eastern India, for his alleged involvement in a corruption case.Stating that the corruption issues raised in a petition appeared to be genuine and serious, the office of the Governor directed Chief Secretary A.P. Padhi to get the allegation probed by the vigilance department.Pradip Maharathy, Minister for Agriculture and Panchayati Raj and pro-chancellor of OUAT, had received two petitions that detailed alleged manipulation of records for personal benefit, erroneous advertisement for recruitment in Krishi Vigyan Kendras, manipulation of records and abuse of position for undue personal benefits. The same petitions were forwarded to the Governor’s office.“After going through the documents, the Governor has directed an in-depth inquiry by State vigilance department. The inquiry report may be submitted within six weeks for taking appropriate action in the matter,” the Governor’s office said.Allegation of corruption and manipulation is not new in the OUAT. Two former Vice-Chancellors of the university had also faced allegations of corruption.read more